Door-actuated dual compartment mailbox



Dec. 25, 1951 STONE 2,579,877

DOOR-ACTUATED DUAL COMPARTMENT MAIL BOX Filed Aug. 17, 1949 2SHEETS-SHEET l %23 Fred Stone 6 INVENTOR.

Dec. 25, 1951 F. STONE DOOR-ACTUATED DUAL C OMPARTMENT MAIL BOX 2SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Aug. 17, 1949 Fred Stone INVENTOR.

.a hinged platform,

Patented Dec. 25, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT FICE DOOR-ACTUATED DUALCOMBARTMENT .IMAILBOX Fred stone, Gladewaten'Tex. ApplicationAugus't'17, 1949, Serial l I.o.. 1 1Il,'Zall:

improved mailbox divided into an upper receiving chamber and a lowerstorage receptacle, with a door hinged at one endof the receivingchamher and connected with a hinged platform, ar-

ranged to'be swung to a horizontal position at the bottom of thereceiving "chamber, to close the storage receptacle, whereby mail oncedeposited in the box and dumped into the storage receptacle cannot beremoved by Way of the chamber by any person, thus safeguarding the mailand preventing access thereto by 'unauthorized persons.

Another object of the invention isto provide animprove'd mailbox'havinga receiving cham her with a door hinged to one end and a lifter "hingedin the box between the chamber and the storage space thereunder, incombination with independently movable, wherebywhen the door is openedthe lifter will be raised and the platform elevated to close off thestorage receptacle, together with a spring "latch for latching theplatform in a horizontal position so that the "chamber may be employedas a space in which to place mail to be picked up by the postman.

A construction designed to carry out the in-,

structed in accordance with thejinvention showing the signal flag in itsraised position in dotted lines and in its lower position in full lines,

Fig. 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section showingthe receiving door open and the platform and lifter elevated,

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the box,

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the spring latch.

In the drawings the numeral I designates a mail box of the general sizeand shape of the boxes used largely in rural districts and constructedof sheet metal. The box involves a single container which has end wallsII and I2, side walls I3 and an arched roof or dome I4. The side wallsare vertical up to the base of the dome, whereby the box is divided intoa storage recep- Glalims. C1. 23 2*???) '2 tacle I5 below saidbase and areceiving chamber I 6 above saidbase. The end II may be referred to asthe receiving end 'andthe end I2,

as the delivery end.

The end wall II terminates at'the top of the receptacle I5 and bottom ofthe chamber I 6. Above the wall I I, the chamber is closed by a door I!hinged, transverselyalong its bottom to the upper edge ofsaid wall II,as is indicated at I3. The rear end'of'the chamber is closedby the wallIt. The front-end of the receptacle being closed by the wall H, "thewall I2 at'the rear end of said receptaclehas an openinglll, "closed bya door 20, hinged at "2I alongone vertical side to the edge of oneofthe'sidewalls I3.

The door 20 has a medial car 22 at-its swinging edge, offsetsufficiently to permit a spring latch 23, secured to one of the sidewalls, to catch on the edge o'f said door. "The latch has-an ear 24,adapted to register with the ear 22,-whereby the shackle )25 "of a lock26 may be passed therethrough to lock the door '20.

The door I! is hinged to'swing down'to a horizontal position asis showninFig. 2 to open the a short link 29 is pivoted in the eye, while theother end of the link is pivoted to the outer edge ofan arm 30extendinglaterally from an elongate rock shaft 3I, having its endssuitably journaled in brackets 32 secured to the-inner faces of the 'endwalls I I and I2. The shaft is disposed along one side of the upperportion of the-receptacle I5 and has an elongate loop or lifter 33extending laterally therefrom in substantially the same plane as the arm30. e

A swinging platform or shelf 34 is hinged to the shaft 3| and isrectangularin shape so as to close the top of the receptacle I5, whenswung to the top thereof. The platform is loosely hinged so as to reston top of the lifter 33 and to be swung up and down by the latter, butpermitting independent movement of the lifter when the platform isotherwise supported.

The box has the usual signal flag 35 which includes an arm 36 mediallypivoted on the box at 31, whereby the lower end of the arm overhangs oneof the side walls. A spring latch finger 38 has one end fastened on thebox wall and is bent outwardly so as to engage the inner face of thelower end of the arm 36 when the latter is swung to a vertical position.A pin 39 secured to the finger enters an aperture 40 in the box wall anda coil spring 4| surrounds this pin between the box wall and the finger.When the flag is down, as is indicated in full lines in Fig. 1, theinner end of the pin will be out of the path of the platform 34. Withthe door 11 open and the platform elevated, as is shown in Figs. 3 and4, the pin 39 will be slid under the platform, when the flag is moved toa vertical position; however, the door may be closed and the lifter 33swung downward.

In using the mail box the flag 35 is down and the doors I! and areclosed, the latter being locked. The postman opens the door I! and whenhe swings it downwardly the arm 21 pulls the link 29 upwardly, wherebythe lifter 33 and platform 34 are swung to horizontal position; saidplatform closing the receptacle l5. After depositing mail in the chamber16, the postman closes the door 11 which swings the platform downwardlyand deposits the mail in said receptacle. Should any one thereafter openthe door H, the platform 34 will be elevated and access to the mailprevented.

To remove mail the lock is unfastened so that the door 20 may be opened.When it is desired to leave mail in the chamber 16 for the postman topick up, the door I1 is opened to elevate the platform 34 to ahorizontal position. The flag 35 is then swung upwardly to cause the arm36 to ride onto the finger 3B and depress the latter which will projectthe pin 39 under the platform. When the door is closed the lifter willbe swung downwardly, but the platform will be supported by the pin. Whenthe flag is swung down the pin will be withdrawn and the platform willbe released.

The box is comparatively simple in construction and makes it difficult,if not ordinarily impossible, for an unauthorized person to remove mail.Latching the platform 34 in its elevated positions provides a veryeffective mailing chamber which is substantially weatherproof.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory thereof andvarious changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in thedetails of the illustrated construction may be made, within the scope ofthe appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A mail box including, a container having upright end and side walls,a platform hinged horizontal along the medial portion of one of the sidewalls arranged to swing up and down in the container, an upper door inone of the upright walls of the container extending above the platform,a lower door in one of the walls of the container below the hinge of theplatform, a lifter hinged in the container along one of the upright sidewalls thereof under the platform,

a connection between the upper door and the lifter arranged to move thelifter upwardly to a horizontal position under the platform when theupper door is swung open, the platform and lifter being hinged to swingin unison or independently of each other, and a latch mounted in one ofthe upright walls of the container engaging the platform to hold thelatter in a horizontal position independently of the lifter.

2. A mail box as set forth in claim 1, wherein the latch is springpressed and is normally out of the path of the platform, and a flagsignal member pivoted on the wall in which the latch file of thispatent:

is mounted located to engage and move said latch into engagement withthe platform when said signal member is swung upwardly.

3. A mail box including, a container having upright side and end walls,a platform hinged within the container along one of the side wallsadapted to swing up and down to and from a horizontal position and whenswung to a horizontal position dividing the container into an upperreceiving chamber above the platform and a lower storage receptaclebelow the said platform, an upper door in one of the upright walls ofthe receiving chamber, a lifter hinged along the inside of one of theside walls to underlie and to normally support the platform, theplatform and lifter being independently swingable, and a movableconnection between the upper door and the lifter disposed to swingthelifter to a horizontal position, whereby the platform is swung to ahorizontal position when the door is opened.

4. A mail box as set forth in claim 3, and a latch mounted in one of theupright walls of the container disposed to engage the platform andsupport it in a horizontal position independently of the lifter.

5. A mail box as set forth in claim 3, with a latch mounted in one ofthe upright walls of the container disposed to engage the platform andsupport it in a horizontal position independently of the lifter, and amovable signal member mounted on the same wall with the latch located tobe moved into signalling position and into engagement with the latch tomove the latter into engagement with the platform.

FRED STONE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Number Name Date 587,744 Leuschner Aug. 10, 1897 672,943King Apr. 30, 1901 728,353 Barnes May 19, 1903 1,315,914 Dubbs Sept. 9,1919

